To: President Donald Trump, The Indiana State House, The Indiana State Senate, Governor Eric Holcomb, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Second Chance
First-time offenders should be given a chance to prove they are reformed and not labeled in the same group as repeat offenders. There are more probation violations due to unreasonable rules placed on these people. We need to redo the probation rules to help these people try to improve their lives, not always put them down. Remember, your past mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you.
Why is this important?
My son is a first-time offender. With the parole laws the way they are now: he will not be able to attend church with his family, be around his own children or any child, have a relationship and many other uncalled for rules. He, along with many other first time offenders, are having to pay on the inside and remain paying after released. As the laws read at the present time- these people are being set up to fail and return to prison. This only fuels mass incarceration. This leaves families to endure more heartaches and financial burdens. Yes, the laws were made to help protect our children but the way they stand right now they are helping to tear families apart. If you have to register as a sex offender you are not allowed around children even if the crime was not against a child . Every sex crime is put in the same group and not a case by case as it should be. You cannot even be in the same car with a child or attend church because there might be a child there. We need to help these people who have served time to become better citizens not continue to put them down.